UNITED NATIONS	HS
	Commission on Human Settlements	Distr. LIMITED HS/C/17/L.20 13 May 1999 ORIGINAL: ENGLISH

The Commission on Human Settlements,

Recalling the Istanbul Declaration on Human Settlements 1/ and the Habitat Agenda, 2/ as well as General Assembly resolution 51/177 of 16 December 1996, which, inter alia, designated the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat) as a focal point for the implementation of the Habitat Agenda and called for a comprehensive and in-depth assessment of the Centre with a view to its revitalization,

Recalling also General Assembly resolution 52/190 of 18 December 1997, which, inter alia, requested the Secretary-General to address urgently the serious management and financial situation of the Centre and urged the Executive Director of the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat) to take further action towards the reform of the administrative and financial management of the Centre pursuant to the recommendations of the Office of Internal Oversight Services, the relevant reports of the United Nations Board of Auditors and the Commission resolutions 16/8, of 7 May 1997, on revitalization of the Habitat Centre and 16/19, of 7 May 1997, on corrective measures in administrative and budgetary matters, and Commission decisions 16/28, of 7 May 1997, on the draft work programme of the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat) and 16/29, of 7 May 1997, on the budget of the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat) for the biennium 1998-1999,

Recalling further that, in its resolution 16/8, the Commission had requested the Secretary-General to take into account, in undertaking a comprehensive and in-depth assessment, a clear set of guiding principles and recommendations with regard to a revitalized United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat),

Bearing in mind the initiative of the Secretary-General in establishing the United Nations Task Force on Environment and Human Settlements to make recommendations for reform of the work of the United Nations in the fields of environment and human settlements,

Recognizing that revitalization of the Centre requires stable, adequate and predictable financial resources,

Taking note of the progress report of the Executive Director on the activities of the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements 3/ and the summary contained therein of the steps taken by the Executive Director to revitalize the Centre and to focus its activities and organizational structure along strategic lines and streamline and improve its financial and administrative management,

1. Mandates the Executive Director to implement the new strategic vision 4/ comprehensively to advance the Habitat Agenda, as embodied in the work programme and budget of the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat) for the biennium 2000-2001, 5/ through the two subprogrammes on adequate shelter for all and on sustainable urban development and through the global campaigns on secure tenure and on urban governance, and welcomes the focus provided by the annex to the progress report of the Executive Director 6/ which recommends that the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat) confirm its status as the United Nations agency for cities and human settlements;

2. Calls upon the Executive Director to seek the views of States on visible "catch-phrases" that can assist in the global advocacy and mobilization of support towards the implementation of the Habitat Agenda and to report thereon to the Commission at its eighteenth session;

3. Encourages the Executive Director to fully implement, as a matter of urgency, all administrative and financial management reforms, as part of the ongoing revitalization process;

4. Invites the Secretary-General, when considering the approval of a new organizational structure of the Centre, to consider the recruitment of qualified staff as a matter of urgency;

5. Requests the Executive Director, in establishing a new organizational structure, to focus on quality and efficiency of management, aiming to implement General Assembly resolution 53/119 of 5 February 1999, on improvement of the status of women in the Secretariat, giving due regard to gender balance, geographical representation and in accordance with United Nations rules and regulations;

6. Calls upon Governments to ensure sufficient financial support to the Centre, necessary to assist in the full implementation of the revitalization process;

7. Requests the Bureau of the Commission, with the support of the Committee of Permanent Representatives, to monitor the progress of the revitalization process and its results in the implementation of the prioritized work programme of the Centre and to report thereon to the Commission at its eighteenth session.
 

1/    Report of the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat), Istanbul 3-14 June 1996 (A/CONF.165/14), chap. I, resolution 1, annex I.

2/    Ibid., chap I, resolution 1, annex II.

3/    HS/C/17/2.

4/    HA/C/17/2/Add.2.

5/    HS/C/17/8.

6/    HS/C/17/2/Add.2, annex.